The embattled actor’s name resurfaces as Netflix’s latest documentary questions the official story and explores how distrust in law enforcement shaped public opinion.
Jussie Smollett and the fallout from his 2019 alleged hate crime are back in the spotlight thanks to a provocative new Netflix documentary.
The Truth About Jussie Smollett?? questions the official version of events and explores how public distrust in police and media helped shape competing narratives.
Director Gagan Rehill revisits the controversial case that saw Jussie Smollett convicted of staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself in Chicago.
Netflix released the documentary nearly six years after the original incident in downtown Chicago, where Smollett claimed he was beaten by a pair of white MAGA supporters who tied a news around his neck and doused him with a chemical spray.
The film, now streaming globally, dives into the swirling debate over what really happened and why so many people still believe conflicting versions of the truth.
“What a gift as a director. You can tilt it one way [and] it will look like one thing. You can tilt it another and there’s another story behind it,” Rehill told The Hollywood Reporter.
Smollett, best known for his role on Empire, was found guilty of felony disorderly conduct in 2021 after prosecuters charged him with faking the crime.
He served six days of a five-month sentence in 2022 before being released pending appeal. In November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction on legal grounds, meaning he cannot be retried.
The documentary features interviews with key figures in the case, including the Osundairo brothers—Abel and Ola—who claimed Smollett paid them to carry out the staged assault. The brothers reportedly received immunity from unrelated gun charges in exchange for their testimony.
Rehill said the film is not just about Smollett’s guilt or innocence but also about the broader cultural moment.
“This film is about whether you believe Jussie or not, but it’s also about a reaction to [the news coverage of his case] as well. It’s just very interesting that people’s trust in mainstream media and in the police has been eroded so much that they have to open the door to alternate truths, or alternate results or verdicts.”
The case has remained a flashpoint in conversations about race, celebrity, and credibility in the United States. Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout.